Lawyers appeal Connecticut death penalty ruling

HARTFORD — Lawyers for some of Connecticut's death row inmates have appealed a judge's ruling that said there are no racial or geographic biases in the way state prosecutors seek the death penalty.

The attorneys appealed last month's ruling by Rockville Superior Court Judge Samuel Sferrazza to the state Appellate Court last week. It's not clear when the court will hear the case, or if the appeal will go directly to the state Supreme Court.

Five of the 10 men on Connecticut's death row are involved in the habeas corpus lawsuit filed in 2005. They say their constitutional rights have been violated because state prosecutors make arbitrary and discriminatory decisions on when to seek the death penalty.

The state repealed the death penalty last year, but only for future murders.